Escape
from the World’s Ways
Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the January 27, 2018 Sabbath School Lesson
“I
have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
for
every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I
know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
If
I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in
it.”
Psalm
50:9-12, NIV
In so many ways, the church fails to properly reveal God
to the world. God says He is self-sufficient, and He also advises us that we
should take no concern regarding His willingness to provide for us.[i] He encourages us to go to
Him for our needs.[ii]
Yet, in spite of these assurances, when faced with a need, especially a financial
one, the church’s first recourse is to reach out and touch the members for more
money. One cannot help but wonder about this. As one wag put it, “If the love
of money is the root of all evil,[iii] why does the church seem
to have such an insatiable appetite for it?” The need seems to be driven by the
desire to maintain and accumulate more and more real property, and as the
property accumulates the financial requirements to maintain it only multiply.
We have gone from simple chapels to magnificent edifices of tens of thousands
of square feet. Opulent administrative and media complexes are spread all over
the globe. Some might claim that they are not opulent by the world’s standards
of opulence, but since when has the world been our guide for standards? Often
these buildings are not erected based on any real need for the proclamation of
the gospel, nor are they effective for that. Instead they are pushed forward by
men (mostly), who seek to create a legacy and to demonstrate their power and
influence over the church. Then once those individuals either die or move away,
the local church is left to struggle with the maintenance of a building that
was unwise to construct in the first place. Then the pastor is in the difficult
position of either catering to possible benefactors and their whims or letting
the property fall into disrepair, causing a further dwindling of membership and
loss of financial base.
Not just the pastor, but all concerned are burdened in
this way. Constant appeals for money may make the church look overextended and
make God seem indifferent to the situation. It can make it look hypocritical
for the church to assure the members that if they pay tithe they will receive
an overflowing blessing when the church itself is apparently not being blessed
in that manner. The dingy carpet, the cracked plaster, the worn hymnals and
broken pews speak more loudly than any sermon can about the true financial condition
of the church. Some might see this as a reason to make the members feel guilty
about not supporting their church. But sensing the missing blessing, church
members begin to leave looking for greater signs of material blessing in some
other congregation, or even in another denomination. After all, if God’s
blessing is a result of what we are doing for Him, isn’t it reasonable to
conclude that a church without material blessings is not aligned with God? But
this is not the truth. It is simply what we have preached for decades with the
church’s constant appetite for money and our assurance to the members that God
blesses based on how much money we may be placing in the coffers of the church.
In support of these ideas the church likes to point out
the horrible demise of Ananias and Sapphira.[iv] They held back some funds
promised to the church and were apparently slain by God for doing so.
Therefore, everyone had better contribute or face God’s wrath. But the lesson
was not about failing to give. It was rather about dishonesty, for they lied to
God and to the Apostles. We should not make pledges we have no intention of honoring,
and the church, through pastoral visits or otherwise, should not be putting
pressure on the members that might tempt them to do as Ananias and Sapphira
did. If God did not spare them, what would become of anyone coercing such
behavior? So what is the cash-strapped church to do? Some resort to auctions,
bazaars, bake sales, and various other fund raisers. Strangely, the church does
this in spite of counsel to the contrary.[v] We are advised that such
things raise funds from the wrong motives. Instead of directing the mind of all
involved toward God, the focus is on what appeals to sensual desires in order
to raise interest in participating in the “fund raiser.” The example is given
of Moses constructing the wilderness tabernacle from the offerings of the
people. No fundraisers were organized. No inducements were offered to get them
to open their pockets and pull out offerings. Instead the offerings were given
from the worthiness of the cause and the loving willingness to support that
cause. In the Lord’s instruction to Moses, he was told only to receive
offerings from those whose heart led them to give.[vi]
Unfortunately, we too often try to play Holy Spirit and
feel that when we are putting pressure on someone to put money in the church coffers
for whatever reason, we are the voice of God to that person. But the Holy
Spirit is not subject to us. He works on human hearts in ways invisible to our
understanding. When He does the response is to His love and goodness, not to
any coercion. What God loves to see is a cheerful giver, not one bowed down
with the weight of an obligation that is a burden rather than a delight.[vii]
The way of the world is to constantly be concerned about
financial needs and the imagined security that a continuing financial wellspring
can provide. But relying on such provisions and seeking them out can lead us
horribly astray. Too many, feeling they are acting from noble motives and
desiring to secure great financial gain for the church, have fallen into ruin,
destroying their own reputation and that of the church as well. We may convince
ourselves when such a perceived opportunity has arisen that God has called us to
respond and secure the advantage before it is too late. But in acting so
unwisely, millions in church funds have been squandered or embezzled. Perhaps
we are as guilty as they are though, for entrusting such wealth to fragile
human hands and egos so subject to selfishness, greed and ambition. We have
convinced ourselves that all of this is necessary to “finish the work.” But is
it? What if God has wanted to step in and handle it all since the beginning,
and we just can’t turn loose of the steering wheel?
Many years ago as a young pastor, I sat on a church
board in Oregon. The church school was facing a budget shortfall of about ten
thousand dollars. The purpose of the meeting was to determine how to make up
the shortfall. The senior pastor and the elders were discussing whom they might
ask for contributions to come up with the needed funds. Then names of Sister X
and Brother Y came up because they each were wealthy and had contributed in the
past. It was felt they might do so again. But we were unable to reach them on
the phone. I suggested that instead of asking people for the shortfall, how
about if we asked God? After some discussion, it was decided we would put the
fleece before God and seek His response. We all knelt and each took turns
praying for God’s will on the matter. When we finished praying, the phone rang.
A woman was calling from way over on the east coast of the United States. She
had formerly attended the church, and she said that she was strongly impressed
by God to call us and offer $10,000 to the church. “Could we use it?” The
pastor explained to her what we had just been doing, and she rejoiced at the
opportunity to be a part of the blessing.
Perhaps when we rely on our ability to leverage power
and influence to obtain support for a cause, we are missing the greater
opportunity to see God at work. It is as though we come to what is normally a locked
door without a key, and we immediately go in search of someone who has a key.
But if we tried the door first, we may discover that God has already prepared
the way before us and the door is unlocked, opening to our touch. Maybe it is
time we stop relying on what we can do with our fundraisers, our influence, our
power, our wealth and set aside the things that those provide us in order to
finally see God in action instead of a human facsimile of Someone who really
owns it all.
